The Poison Prince of Haven
by FlOrangey
Summary: Jak II novelization. Two years of torture leaves one with little to think of but revenge or death. In a city that is dying from war, Jak is forced to work for a rebel organization to get what he wants and learns that much has changed not just for himself but for his friends and loved ones. The days of Sandover are gone and Haven's walls are about to crumble.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to my attempts to get back into writing in the form of a Jak II novelization. The story will follow the story of the game, but will receive changes to accommodate the written format. Some missions will be removed, some events will be changed slightly, some OCs have been created to help flesh out the world, and Jak is going to go through a lot of hell. There will be a slightly stronger character focus as I have an interest in exploring these characters, but for the most part the story is faithful to the game.

**Disclaimer: **_Jak and Daxter is owned by Naughty Dog, the story is merely an adaption of there concept altered to fit the written format. Any characters that appear in this story that are not owned by them are owned by me. In the event that this adaption is requested to be removed by the company in question I will do so._

**Rating:** _This fanfic is rated T for teen for violence, language, and suggestive themes._

**Chapter One: Dark Breaths, Dirty Water**

The first injection made his body go number.

The second set it on fire, his heart racing as he tried to fight what they were doing to him.

It was the third that made him scream in pain as the dark eco coursed through his blood to his brain. His ability to think breaking apart as the pain took hold of him.

The fourth…the fourth was expected to trigger his transformation. But the only thing it did was made him feel like his entire body was being ripped apart piece by piece. He could feel his restraints digging into his skin as he thrashed in the chair he was strapped too screaming at the top of his lungs.

It felt like an eternity but in an instance everything became numb again and he collapsed. Sweat poured down his face and his eyes fluttered disoriented before closing.

"_Dark eco injection cycle complete. Bio-rhythms nominal and unchanged."_

The voice was one of few reliefs he got in this wretched place. It meant this round of tests was over, that the pain and torture were coming to an end that day. The ones that came next brought no relief, only fear and anger. "I was told this one was different." That voice. One of two men in the room and both which made his blood boil with rage every time he heard them.

"He's surprisingly resistant to your 'experiments' Baron Praxis. I don't think we'll trigger another transformation."

"He changed once before. Why isn't he doing it again?"

"Unfortunately whatever secrets Gail unlocked she took with her to her grave." The other said his voice sly and a tiny bit sarcastic. Almost like he was partly accusing the Baron he was speaking to as being partly at fault. "I'm afraid we have to consider the Dark Warrior Program a failure."

The news struck the Baron hard or it sounded like it did because of the angered growl he let out in the large almost completely empty prison. The man shot his rage at the first person that he could find, grabbing the young boy's hair and lifting him up out of his chair as far as the restraints would let him.

"You should at least be dead after all the dark eco I pumped into you." He yelled right at the boy's face. His rage was blind, if the Baron had been paying attention after he slammed the boys head back into the chair he would have seen the younger's hands ball up into fists and his neck tighten. What he wouldn't give to put the Baron in the same chair he was strapped to now, and listen to his screams as the dark eco ripped through his body. He'd enjoy that. He'd really enjoy that.

"What do we do now?" The other asked, "Metal Heads continue to press their attacks on the walls, without a new weapon my men can't hold them off forever."

"I will not be the man who lost this city to those vile creatures." Baron Praxis shouted, "Erol, move forward with the Final Plan. And finish off this _thing_ tonight."

"As you wish." Erol said any semblance of humanity fading from his voice as he reached over grabbing the young boy's neck. His eyes fluttered open for a moment taking in Erol's sick green eyes, pale skin, and red hair. "I'll be back for you later." He said calm and cold before moving away and down the hall leaving the boy in the chair.

The young man heard the door slam as the two men left the prison and the quiet let his tired mind take in everything that just happened. Today was the day, they had finally had enough of him and he was going to die. It would soon be over. The thought was the happiest one he had in longer than he could remember and he relaxed in the chair as best as the restraints would let him.

The comfort started to lull him to sleep only for him to feel something bounce on his abdomen. "Whoa what the heck happened to you?!" Another voice, this one sounded so familiar. "Jak it's me…." The voice faded in and out and Jak struggled to open his eyes. A small head and beady eyes covered in orange and yellow fur greeted him before he closed them again. "Well that's a fine hello." The animal said rambling incoherently his words only partially reaching Jak's ears.

As he spoke Jak could feel the eco irritating him as its influence went through is body. The creature sounded so familiar, like a voice he had heard a long time ago. A voice that made him a promise.

"_Don't worry Jak I'll save you before you know it!"_

"I've been looking for you for two years!"

The first thought that came to his mind was that the little rat should have looked harder.

"Say something! Just this once!"

His anger flared, a deep seated monster inside him that made him see red as his eyes flashed open. There was only one thought on his mind at that moment and it was directed right at the man that had subjected him to this hell. "I'm going to kill Praxis!" He yelled and in an instant the small animal's hands were covering his mouth shushing him.

"Right now I gotta get you out of here. Just hold on one moment."

He didn't have a moment Jak felt his blood boil as the dark eco coursed through his body. His hair began to stand on end and veins bulged on arms as his hands balled into fists. The small animal watched him in shock before jumping off his arm as the eco seemed to pulse from his body. His skin turned purple, his hair white and his eyes so black there was no light reflecting in them. With an animalistic howl Jak broke his restraints in an instant.

"Or you could just do that…." The small animal said losing his voice as he watched the man in front of him. "Those claws are, uh,new." he muttered. Jak glanced at his fingers flexing his muscles as a psychotic smirk formed on his face clearly liking the new addition on his body. He then turned his head to the small animal as he got out of the chair.

"J-Jak?" It said and how it knew his name was of little concern to the now free dark warrior. He only had one thing in mind, kill the small creature, rip his lungs out. Then go for the Baron. "Jak easy, it's me your old pal Daxter remember?" The small creature said raising his hands up in defense and fear. Jak growled lifting a claw ready to slice the small animal open.

Then he stopped. The name was familiar like he had heard it before. The creature was familiar, a small furry orange ottsel that used to be a strange looking young kid with orange and red hair. He remembered seeing the kid get sea sick while on a boat, the boy falling into a vat of dark eco and –miraculously- not dying but instead turning into a strange furry creature. He remembered how the small creature would make sarcastic comments, how he rode on Jak's shoulder across Sandover and the rest of the land, how he'd make smart comments about Samos and flirt with Keira. How he stuck around with Jak even when he was absolutely terrified.

"Daxter?" The word came shakily as his vision began to clear and he could see the strange furry creature in front of him with more clarity. Slowly he felt his rage recede and with it the effects of the eco. His vision blurred momentarily as he took a few steps back his legs becoming weak making it difficult to stand. He groaned in agony as the claws receded back to normal fingers and the adrenaline and eco that triggered the transformation faded. Within seconds he was back to his tan skinned blonde self and he stared at Daxter the small animal in shock.

"What was that?!" The ottsel said and in an instance deflected the frightening situation with humor. "Geeze remind me not to piss you off."

Jak stayed silent taking in Daxter's movements. He seemed perfectly calm, but he could see that the small animal was keeping his distance from him. "Come on tall, dark, and gruesome let's get you out of here." He said as he picked up a decent sized bundle wrapped in brown paper. "Here put these on, right now you look like you have an 'escaped prisoner' sign on your neck."

Jak stared at him before carefully taking the package and opening it. Inside were a long sleeved navy shirt and a pair of white pants and brown boots. He looked at the clothes his mind still hazy and then to Daxter who rolled his eyes and then turned around to give Jak some privacy. After a small hesitation Jak took off the prison uniform, parts of it sticking to his sweaty skin, and put on the top and pants. The shirt felt too tight with his newfound muscle mass and the pants a bit loose. The boots felt strange on his feet having never worn them before and preferring sandals.

"Trust me when I say wearing those is better than going barefoot out there." Daxter said having turned around after Jak had put on the rest of his clothes to help him with the buckles on his boots. After they were secure he jumped on Jak's shoulder making the boy flinch at the touch. For a second he was sure that someone was going to shove him onto the floor or back into that chair. If Daxter noticed he brought no attention to it instead directing Jak toward a nearby vent.

The escape was mostly quiet and as Daxter directed Jak on where to go he was amazed at how well it seemed that Daxter knew the facility. He heard Daxter mumble something under his breath as he jumped off Jak's shoulder and motioned for him to follow. He jumped across one of the gaps motioning for Jak to follow. He looked down noticing how far the drop would be before stepping back and leaping across. When he landed he stumbled, his legs giving out on him.

"Oh come on Jak, you landed jumps longer than this before." Daxter said and Jak looked at him before struggling to his feet. He reached up to the next platform and climbed up taking more effort than he knew it should have. "Getting old huh."

"Shut up." The words escaped his lips before he could stop them and Daxter stared at him completely speechless before climbing back on Jak's shoulder. Now that he was moving more than a few feet Jak could feel exactly how weak he had become. Sure his muscle mass had increased because of the injections but he lacked the energy to do much with it. The lack of good food and exercise had left his body shaky and he felt slower than he did before he was forced into this nightmare. He had only been in there for two years; he felt like he had aged ten.

Daxter did not speak again unless he needed to direct Jak around an area, the silence between them awkward. Another path down and Jak stopped when he heard some muttering. He pushed himself to the wall Daxter doing the same and peered out from the corner. Two crimson guards were standing around talking to each other.

"My money's on Erol for the big race this year."

"Feh, I dunno that chick from Kras City's pretty good. Almost reached class one last year."

"No combat racer can beat a good zoom racer."

"How do you know? Have you ever seen a racer from Kras City?"

"….no. But neither have you!"

"…Yeah but still….getting damn tired of Erol winning all the time."

Jak looked down at Daxter expecting the ottsel to know of another way out. The furry animal opened his mouth before closing it and shaking his head. Jak let out a small growl and peered out again. The guards weren't even looking at them. He put a finger over his mouth to keep Daxter quiet and stepped out keeping himself crouched and low to the ground to keep his footsteps quiet.

"So I hear the Krimson girls are petitioning to get different uniforms."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"Apparently they're getting tired of being confused for prostitutes."

The other guard stared at him dumbfounded looking at the man giving him just enough space out of the corner of his eye to see the man behind them. "Hey you!" The guard yelled getting the others attention as Jak cursed his luck. "Prison break!"

Almost without thinking Jak lunged at the first guard before he had a chance to call for backup punching him in the face the guards visor cracking. The other, raised his staff blue electricity glowing from it. "Oh no you don't!" To Jak's surprise Daxter jump onto the guard covering his eyes with his hands. The guard cursed reaching for the ottsel dropping his guard giving Jak the opportunity to grab the staff. He flipped it on and shoved it into the guard's chest. The guard – and Daxter – made gurgling sounds before collapsing. Daxter flew off the guy and into a wall before flopping on the floor.

"Wow! What a shock!" He said sniffing the air as Jak approached him. "Hey do you smell fried chicken?"

Jak stared at his friend for a bit and Daxter watched as the brief ghost of a smile formed on his face before shaking out his fur and climbing back on his shoulder. He pointed out the loose panel in the floor. "Down there!"

Jak could see some kind of window or open vent at the end of the prison and at Daxter's excitement and pointing made that his destination. A light breeze told him that it did indeed lead outside and unconsciously quickened his pace to reach it. He put his hand on the frame almost not convinced that it was real and poked his head out.

The bright light of the sun made it hard to see at first, but it only took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust. Outside he was greeted not by the wind and sound of the beaches near Sandover Village, but instead with a buildings just a year yards away, sunlight partly blocked out by smog, and dirty paths. He jumped down onto the ground losing his footing momentarily. The ground felt harder than he expected, like stone rather than sand. Slowly Jak straightened and his feet started moving walking him down the street as Daxter spoke but he didn't hear anything the ottsel said. The tall buidings were mesmerizing and the air – while fresh compared to the prison – smelled and tasted toxic.

It was almost like this place was dying, like a disease had infected a once lively and colorful place and it was rotting from the inside. And Jak was not sure why but he thought he had a pretty good idea who was responsible.

He continued walking eyes gazed towards the large buildings as people walked past him some going into the buildings others just sitting down on the ground. It was getting dark and it was possible that had something to do with it.

Not everyone was going inside as Jak walked he noticed an old man who appeared to be staring at him, with a mix of perplexity and concern. A young boy was holding his hand. "Hello there young lad." The older man said getting his attention. "You look lost, my name is Kor, can I-"

"You look like a reasonably smart man." Jak said almost spitting in the elders face as he grabbed him, "I want some answers. Where the hell am I?"

"Jak!" Daxter said tugging on the teenager's ear before looking at the man. "Uh sorry he's a bit new to thew hole 'conversation' thing." He said and Jak quickly realized what exactly he did. He looked down at the ground for a second not sure where that anger came from.

"S-sorry." He stammered almost expecting the old man to whack him in the head with his cane. Instead the man gave him a calm sigh, dusting off his shoulder.

"Oh it's quite alright my angry young friend." Kor said, "You're face is unfamiliar I take it you have never been to 'glorious' Haven City. I take it you were a 'guest' of his 'majesty' Baron Praxis."

The sarcasm was dripping from Kor's lips and Jak couldn't help but respond. "Yes, I 'guest' in the Baron's Prison." He said.

"In a cell or inside the city, we are all surrounded by walls." He said looking down at the child who was tugging at his long robes to get his attention. Kor turned around his eyes widening and him backing up almost bumping into Jak. "Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've move on if I were you."

A set of Krimson Guards entered the location and Jak could feel his blood beginning to boil the eco inside him resonating. "By the powers of Lord Baron Praxis, everyone in this section is under arrest for the harboring of underground fugitives and escaped prisoners." On the last part of that sentence the soldier looked right at Jak and flipped on his stun rod. "Now surrender and die."

"Uh don't you mean surrender OR DIE?" Daxter asked.

"Not in this city." Jak heard Kor mutter as the Krimson Guard spread out to surround them. He looked at one after the other trying to find some weak spot in there formation.

"Hey!" One of the guards shouted. "That's the kid!"

"The heir?" Another asked and Jak glanced down at kid who was clinging to Kor's leg. "Get him!" One of the guards said and Jak felt his anger flare up as the first guard stepped forward. He flung a punch right into the guards face grabbing his stun rod as he stumbled stabbing him in the chest.

"Forget the kid, get the freak!"

Freak. That's what he had been called while experimented on in prison. His rage becoming uncontrollable he swung the rod over another guards head before grabbing him by the throat and wrestling him to the ground. He punched the guard in the face again and again breaking the man's visor ten his nose, blood coming from the soldier's mouth. The only thing that stopped him was a shock to the back by a few more guards one of which he punched as he got up.

Somehow two of the soldiers managed to get their hands on his arms, a movement he struggled against as another shocked him in the chest. He breathed hard as his vision became red, the eco pulsating in him as the guard said something. He could feel his skin burning as his anger overcame him – his skin turning purple his hair white and his eyes black. Whatever the guard said made him snap and he forced himself out of his enemies grip and lunged for the one that had shocked him in the chest letting his claws dig deep into his armor and penetrating his skin. He then went for the next one damaging there armor and wrapping his hands around his neck.

Each guard after was greeted with claws to their chest or to their throat and with each kill Jak reveled in it. The blood dripping from his fingers was satisfying, and the shocks they tried to pin him down with only made his anger grow. After the last one was defeated he looked around for more his eyes settling on an old man nearby. And a small creature who looked terrified but walked over against the older man's better judgment.

Jak was ready to raise a hand but stopped when he realized he knew this small animal. Daxter. A friend.

Slowly Jak felt his anger subsiding and his mind clearing. He put his hands on his head, the eco inside him causing his body to become hot and his vision to blur as it let go of his madness. Daxter was staring at him and then down at his hands which Jak found himself looking at. His eyes widened as he saw them covered in the crimson liquid and looked down at the bodies. Each guard was dead, pools of blood everywhere.

He could feel his stomach lurch and if he had anything in it he probably would have lost it right on the street. He did this. He killed them all. And somewhere deep down, it felt good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Bloody Hands, Metal Heads**

"Jak?"

Jak looked down at Daxter .For a second he had forgotten his small friend was there. He looked back at the old man, and the small kid who was hiding behind the man's robes. It was silent and then Kor finally spoke up. "I think we should move on, this way quickly." He said leading them away from the incident with a quick hobble. The kid behind him and Jak saw the boy stare at him in both awe and fear.

"Come on Jak." Daxter said hesitating for a moment but jumping on his friends shoulder. Jak flinched a bit the touch feeling once again strange before shakily following. Looking at his hands Jak quickly put them in his shirt pockets not wanting to look at them. He didn't want to look at the bodies either but found his eyes gazing at them for much longer than he should have. Finally he was forced to break contact with them when they turned a corner.

It was easy for them to get lost in the crowd and Jak watched as the other humans in all shapes, sizes, and dress walked by them or in the general direction. Above them were more in vehicles that Jak did not recognize along with ones that reminded him of Keira's A-grav zoomer.

Keira. The thought of her name and her face almost brought Jak to a stop but he forced himself to keep going. His eyes went up to Daxter before looking away, his desire to ask if Daxter had seen her draining from him when he realized that maybe was not the time to ask. One of them did have questions though and that was Daxter. "Soooo…that thing you did back there. You know with the guards..." Daxter said choosing his words carefully. "How did you do that? And can you do it again?"

"I don't know." Jak said keeping his eyes in front of him and Kor. "I just….snapped." Something was happening to him, the eco had blinded him made him temporarily lose his mind, kill each guard and to his horror he enjoyed it. The bloodshed filled him with glee and he shook a little as he felt the eco crave more. "I couldn't stop."

"What the hell did the Baron do to ya?"

The question made Jak's shoulders tense up and he shook his head trying to keep the images of torture out of his thoughts. He felt Daxter put pressure on his shoulder as though trying to assure him that everything would be okay. He winced but tried his best to ignore the small amount of pain coming from that spot. They continued to walk before eventually stopping near a small alleyway. Kor looked around and while there were a few Krimson Guards in the area they were far enough that they would not hear them speak.

"Young man what you did, was nothing I have ever seen." He said and Jak gave him a lopsided grin, not sure if that was a compliment or an insult. "Perhaps you can help me with something," He motioned for the boy, "this boy is important."

The boy poked his head out from behind Kor and Daxter hopped down to get a better look at him. "This kid? He looks kinda scruffy." He said poking the kid's nose making him jump and cover his hands with it. "Heh, reminds me of you Jak."

"No he doesn't." Jak said.

"Oh trust me he does. Except short and fat." Now it was the kids turn to frown at Daxter, his small hands tightening into two fists. "See you even have the same 'Daxter your pissing me off' face. Quiet one. Hey kid can you talk?"

"The boy cannot speak." Kor said some annoyance in his voice and Daxter gave Jak a smug know-it-all look which the human rolled his eyes too. Kor cleared his throat getting their attention again. "But he is very important. Baron Praxis took control of the city after the death of the last king, a benevolent man, may the Precursors rest his soul. This boy may be his heir and it is pertinent that he is protected."

"Yeah that's nice but I'm not babysitting." Jak said his mood becoming sour and trying to make his disinterest in what Kor was saying so far clear.

"I don't expect you to babysit." Kor said smiling, "But I'm sure you would like to get revenge on Baron Praxis." Jak did not answer but focused on Kor's words eyebrow raised in intrigue. "There is an underground movement working to overthrown Baron Praxis. Its leader The Shadow is looking for fighters. While I don't think your little friend would cut it," a low growl came from Daxter's throat, "you could do fine."

"'Little friend might not cut it' I'm the one that broke him out of prison!"

"Where can I find this Shadow?" Jak asked.

"I'm afraid I can't say, he's a very secretive man." And with that statement Jak's mood started going downhill. "But his second in command leads in his place. Go to the slums and find a dead end alley near the castle wall. Ask for Torn, I'll vouch for you if he asks any questions."

Jak considered Kor's proposal. He did not want to get involved in some underground movement. He looked at the small kid who looked up at him. The boy's eyes were huge and even from what he'd seen of the city innocent. He gave the boy a small smile before shaking his head. He should care less about the boy, what was most important was him getting back into the castle to tear the Baron's head off. Or even better strap him to the chair he had him in every day for two years and inject him with dark eco see how he liked it.

If this Underground was his best option he did not have any other options. He knew nothing about this city other than whatever Daxter learned in two years.

"Fine." Jak finally said and Kor gave him an approving nod before taking the child's hand.

"Then I will take my leave." Kor said, "Now come on young boy."

The small child stared at him, then Jak, then Daxter before pulling his hand out of Kor's and wrapping his arms around Daxter. The small furry animal froze in place, stared at the kid, and then his eyes went up to Jak.

"A little help here." Daxter said and Jak sighed kneeling down to the small child.

"Sorry kid, Daxter needs to come with me." He said putting a hand on the kids shoulder. The small boy looked up at him his eyes large and he took Jak's hand. The young man's eyes widened a little taken back. "No you can't come with me either, stay with Kor." The boy looked sad but let go of Daxter and took Kor's hand. Jak watched the kid for a moment before looking back down at Daxter.

"Come on Dax let's go." He said.

"Be careful." Kor warned taking the child's hand and once the street was clear of guards began walking down it as if nothing had happened. Daxter climbed back on Jak's shoulder the boy flinching in brief pain as he did so and turned to go the other way.

"You know where this place is?" He asked and Daxter sighed.

"Oh so I'm a tour guide now. Come on this way."

She took out a cigarette, lit it, and then put it in her mouth trying to keep her frustration in check. Tess was on guard duty today even though Torn had promised her the day off so she could go to the races. Almost seven days a week between him and Krew and she had been hoping to see the opening season with her friend. Didn't happen and now she still needed to pay her friend back for the unused ticket.

She made no secret that today she hated Torn for doing what he did, but understood his desperate decision to ask her. The Krimson Guard were on high alert, word from there mole was that it was because a violent prisoner escaped. With increased patrols, the Underground was in greater danger of being discovered. At least that's what Torn was convinced of and he needed Tess to keep an eye on the outside alley.

She had argued with him reminding him that the Underground was always in danger. "Besides what if this dangerous prisoner comes up to the alley and decides to do something to me? Get one of the guys to do it."

"Tess everyone has their own jobs today and you are one of the few people that I can get on short notice."

"But the race-"

"Forget about the race." Torn ordered and Tess rolled her eyes.

"You're the worst commander ever. I hate you!" Tess yelled at him, and while it had made the room tense between them deep down they both knew she did not mean it. They had known each other for too long to have that little respect for each other. Tess was one of only two people that could jokingly call Torn the worst commander ever and not get a black eye, broken nose, or a death threat. Instead he was more likely to lighten up and put on a weak tired smile.

Likewise Tess was one of only a very small number of people that Torn would openly trust with his life. Which was probably why Torn asked Tess to watch the alleyway in the first place.

"Besides if that prisoner shows up, I'd be more worried about the prisoner." Torn had told her.

Tess' job was simple; if anyone ended up in the alley just to keep an eye on them and only interact with them if they stayed for longer than she felt was comfortable. It was boring work. She mostly saw a few men sneaking into the alley to get a quick smoke or a young couple walking by seeing it was occupied and quickly taking off.

Then a member of the Krimson Guard entered the area. "What are you doing over here miss?"

Tess recognized the voice as a young guard, not yet completely hardened by the work he was doing. Good. "Just getting a quick smoke." Tess said.

"Shouldn't a girl like you be at work?"

"Got the day off." Tess said, "Lucky me, I get to enjoy the smell of car exhaust as I try to get to the market."

"Uh…yeah." The soldier said seeming to be unsure exactly how to respond to her. "Look have you seen a suspicious man in the area?"

Oh if he only knew. "Everyone in this city looks suspicious, especially if they are in body armor." The soldier looked like he was ready to restrain her, she needed to dial back the passive insults. "You'll have to be more specific. What does he look like?" She said putting the cigarette in her mouth, taking a breath, taking it out and breathing out the smoke.

"Uh crazy looking person." Tess stared at him making it clear that the description was extremely vague. For all she knew he was looking for Erol. "Probably in torn up prison clothes." He added, "Look I've been hearing that he's dangerous, some freak in a lab experiment. If you see him contact your nearest KG."

"Will do." Tess said pretending to show no interest. "Anything else?"

"Yeah…you see my wife has kinda been…well difficult and ..."

Tess glared at him and would have slapped him if he was not a helmet. "Yeah, I'm not that kinda of girl."

"Oh…." He sounded disappointed before partly regaining his composure. "Well, have a good day miss."

Another two hours passed after the soldier walked away and she stretched he eyes drooping a bit from boredom. As activity died down she found herself kicking rocks into the building and playing with a make shift hacky sack she had purchased on a whim in the market the other day. If there was any danger it had to have long passed by now. She reached for her radio to inform Torn that there were no issues and asking if she could possible see at least the last race of the day only to stop when she saw another man walk down the alley.

At first Tess guessed it was just another smoker, but something about him caught her eye. His greenish-blonde was long and unkempt; hands were in the pockets of a long sleeve blue shirt and a red scarf around his neck. The goggles on his head were probably the only thing that kept his hair out of his eyes.

To her curiosity a small cute animal was on his shoulder and to her amazement it was talking. But while the animal looked cute, the man looked like he had seen better days and could be a threat.

She put the radio back into the pocket of her short shorts and casually leaned against the wall pretending they were not there and watching them casually from the corner of her eye. Until that is that she saw him staring at her.

"I'm telling you that kid reminds me of you when we were kids." Daxter said as he lead Jak down the street they needed to go.

"I don't see it."

"What you don't remember how much of a sniveling baby you were when we first met? You cried for days after that wumbie nest fell on your head."

"One I was nine, two it's your fault that even happened. You knocked it down." Jak said his words cold and harsh. Daxter was taken back and crossed his arms looking away from his friend.

"You know I think I liked you better when you didn't talk." Daxter said and Jak stopped in his steps looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry Daxter." He said, "I shouldn't be taking it out on you." His voice was quiet and he expected another smart remark from Daxter. Instead the small animal put a hand on his head almost like he was giving him a reassuring pat. The gentle gesture made him flinch a bit because he was expecting Daxter to hit him after. He didn't.

"Hey don't worry about it." Daxter said, "I get that you don't mean it and are trying to find your voice. But a quick word of advice," he said as they approached the alley, "This city does not like attitude and if you say the wrong thing you'll probably get yourself tossed back in jail or worse."

Or worse? Nothing could be worse than being Baron Praxis test subject to two years. Still Daxter was probably right. Jak nodded and Daxter gave him an affectionate tap on the shoulder. "Now don't worry if you have any problems I'll do all the talking and we'll get that Baron. He'll be yours before you know it."

Before he knew it. The words brought a smirk to Jak's face "Before I know it. Isn't that what you said about breaking me out of prison?"

"Hey you have no idea what I was doing during that time."

"Enlighten me." Jak said a grin on his face. "What were you doing for two years?"

"Working as an exterminator." Daxter said. Jak looked at him confused wanting him to elaborate but his attention shifted as he got to the alley. Sure enough it was a dead end alley and no one except for one young woman was present. The woman in question was in tight short shorts and a tight green jacket with yellow undershirt. Her boots reached her knees and beyond that she was probably the least dressed girl that Jak had ever seen. He found himself staring at her which the girl noticed.

"Why don't you take a picture it'll last longer." She said her voice sharp and cold and Jak frowned before looking away. He was about to speak but Daxter beat him to it.

"Oh baby!" He said jumping off Jak's shoulder and approaching her. "Girl, you are fine, why don't you help us out here and we'll be on our way. Or I could leave the kid and you and I could go to the port and enjoy a romantic dinner at the Hip Hog."

Jak rolled his eyes and he expected the woman in front of him to do the same and kick him aside. Instead to his shock and horror the girl giggled and kneeled down so that she was closer to Daxter's level. Which even then was still a good foot taller than his friend.

"Well aren't you a cutie." She said reaching a hand out and rubbing his chin. He saw Daxter protest at first not liking to be reminded that he was now a furry animal but that protest quickly changed to enjoyment.

"Oh yeah that feels good. Think you can get that itch behind the ears?" At the request the girl began scratching the ears. "Ooooh yeah, that's the spot." Daxter said clearly enjoying the scratching more than he should have, his leg began thumbing up and down on the dirt.

"Daxter focus." Jak said and his small friend jumped looked back at him then to the girl.

"Don't mind him he's just jealous." Daxter said a confident smirk on his face.

"Oh you're so adorable." The girl said and Jak glared at both of them. He saw the girl jump a little but hold herself together.

"Look we're looking for someone and were told we could find them here. Can you help us?" Jak said trying not to go after her the same way he did Kor.

"Depends who you're looking for and why." She said, "I know the city like the back of my hand but looking for the wrong person for the wrong reasons can be dangerous." Jak felt his hand ball into a fist but upon taking a deep breath he relaxed a little loosening his hand before he dug into his palm with his nails.

"We're looking for a guy named Torn." Jak said and he saw the girl's stance change slightly. She knew him.

"Why?"

"Kor sent us. Said The Shadow was looking for people" Jak said. The girl's curiosity had been piqued and a small smirk formed on her face. "Really now." She said taking a few steps back and Jak felt his body tense up as she reached behind her back. "What's your name kid?"

"Jak."

"And I'm Daxter. The leader. He's the sidekick." Daxter shouted and Jak saw the girl look down at him giving him a grin before pulling the item in question out from behind her. He was ready to lunge only to see that it was a radio.

"Give me just a minute boys." She said taking a few steps back and turning around. Jak saw she had a pistol strapped to her belt and wondered if that had been what she had originally been reaching for before getting the radio. He could feel his anger beginning to surface again. If that girl had done anything to Daxter he would rip her throat out.

She looked away for a few seconds before turning back putting the radio away and kneeling down to pet Daxter on the head. Another minute later the two jumped startled by the sudden nose of one of the walls moving revealing a corridor. A man stepped out and Jak stared at him. He was taller than him, his skin a strange grey color that only came from a lack of sunlight and he was wearing grey armor with a red scarf. His blue eyes were dark and cold, his face worn from years of experience. But what surprised Jak the most were the tattoos that were covering his face and ears. They did not seem like random tattoos that proved rebellion but some kind of ornate symbol of command that was only given to the best of soldiers.

Erol had similar tattoos.

He looked at Jak then looked around before looking down at Daxter and connecting the dots. He looked at the girl. "You gotta be kidding me." He said his voice hoarse and the girl straightened again.

"Kor?" She asked.

"Vouching for them. Or vouching for a guy named Jak." He said looking right at him, "I'm guessing that's you."

"Yeah." Jak said frowning as the older man looked him over. Torn's face scrunched up more with each passing second.

"Kor's saying that you slaughtered about a dozen Krimson guards with your bear hands. You'll have to forgive me if I was expecting a soldier and not some kid with a pet rat."

"Hey I happen to be an Ottsel! If you're going to insult me at least insult me correctly." Daxter protested but the two were not paying attention.

"What's your secret kid?"

"Ask the Baron, I'm sure he'd be happy to share." Jak said losing his patience. The man in front of him gave him an annoyed look before a smirk formed on his lips, he was understanding what Jak was implying.

"Well this is interesting. The Baron's dangerous escaped prisoner right here. What a coincidence." He said and Jak was not sure if he was mocking him or if he was being serious. "Course Kor would say it was fate." His smile was dark. "What do you think Tess? Should I give them a test?"

So that was the girl's name. She nodded, "Should I put the banner back up in Dead Town?"

"No." Torn said and Jak noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tess looked surprised. Getting a banner must have been a traditional test for these underground individuals. "That would be too easy so such a dangerous fugitive." His voice was sarcastic and Jak glared at him. "I have a real job for you.

"The Baron cut water off to the slums. There are innocent people whose lives are in danger just so that bastard can try and find a few underground fugitives. Go to the Pumping Station outside of the city and get the water back on. You do that and you're in."

"Fine." Jak said.

"Wait what?" Daxter spoke up. "No way! Do you have any idea what's out there? What do you we do about the Metal Heads?"

Metal Heads? That was a name Jak had only vague familiarity with. They had been mentioned a few times in his time in prison about how once there 'experiments' succeeded he would wipe out every single one. And that they were attacking the city, but he had never seen one and had no actual idea what they exactly were.

Torn snorted and pulled out a pistol similar to Tess'. "You get in trouble you use this." He said and Jak gave it a strange look. "What you never seen one before?"

"I've never used one." Jak said and Torn grumbled under his breath before giving him a few quick instructions.

"Safety is here. Keep it on so you don't shoot yourself. Turn it off when you need to use it. Aim with two hands at the yellow gems on the Metal Heads. Aim with one hand and you'll be writing your will. Don't lock your elbows, keep them loose or you'll break your arm."

"Got it."

"Jak I don't think this is a good idea." Daxter said and Jak could not help but notice how nervous he looked.

"We'll be fine." He said and he saw a smirk form on Torn's face.

"If you were smart you'd listen to your rat." He said and Daxter growled at him. "Head to the north wall and find a large drain pipe. It'll lead you right to where you need to go. Get to the main valve and turn it on. Simple. Probably. If you make it back I'll see what I can do for you."

"I'll be back." Jak said and the man smirk did not leave his face. Jak already knew he would not like this person. Hopefully he would not have to work with him long.

* * *

A set up chapter by any other name. I am fascinated with the characters of Jak II and would like an opportunity to play around with them more. I also wish I could add a third genre tag to this thing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Outer Walls, Evil Water Valves**

This was a terrible idea. At least that was what Daxter kept saying as they walked to the north. Jak did not quite understand what the big deal was and he was not sure how much of Daxter's freak out was genuine or him taking a simple situation and blowing it out of proportion. His friend had done that many times back in Sandover Village where he would act like a giant seagull was going to eat him or that he would be trampled by Yakow. Extremely slow Yakow that was terrified of him.

The thoughts of Sandover Village started to make Jak feel sick. His stomach lurched as his mind brought up memories of the beach that he and Daxter would run across. Then, when they met Keira, of the group of three making a sandcastle on the beach and Daxter throwing a coconut at it. He remembered Keira got mad and the two of them began fighting only stopping when Jak pulled them away from each other. He remembered the three of them lying on the beach just after dark to watch the stars. How the three of them managed to become such good friends he did not know, but they were the best thing that had ever happened to him.

And while Daxter was here, Keira was not. The time in prison made his memory of some events fuzzy, some things here and there had faded but Keira was just as bright as ever. He still remembered her smile, which made her bright green eyes sparkle, her turquoise hair framing her face perfectly. He remembered when he first noticed her curves and how her pants were too big for her, like without their suspenders they would fall off exposing her underwear. He remembered how she would bat her eyelashes at him and that one day they almost kissed.

"Hey Jak you okay?" Daxter asked and Jak shook his head letting the memories fall to the back of his mind for the time being.

"Yeah I'm fine." Jak said his cold demeanor faulting and he knew that Daxter did not believe him. "Can I ask you something Daxter?"

"Of course." Daxter said, "Is it about that Tess girl? Well sorry, but you stand no chance. She likes me. And I'm serious I think she actually does."

"It's not about her." Jak said. "Have you found anyone else besides me? Have you seen Samos or Keira?" He voice almost choked at her name and he was sure Daxter noticed. The ottsel was quiet for a long while and Jak already knew the answer before he spoke.

"Sorry buddy." He said, "The first year was rough. When your trail went cold I wandered the city from sector to sector, bar to bar, trash can to trash can and didn't see them. When I got the exterminator job I thought I'd eventually get a gig wherever they were or find a way into the Palace. Obviously I got to the palace, heck you wouldn't be here if I didn't, but I never found Samos or Keira."

The news made Jak's chest tighten. Somehow hearing it made it worse than imagining it in his head. He felt momentarily dizzy and he lost his footing almost walking into someone. "Hey watch it!" he heard them say along with muttering something about him being drunk.

Jak put a hand against the wall to steady himself. Daxter waved a hand in front of him to make sure he was okay and was sure he was when Jak pushed it out of his vision. "When we're done with this job we're getting you something to eat you don't look to good."

Jak stayed quiet but nodded and when he was sure he was not going to pass out he continued walking. They reached the part of the slums within minutes and Jak knew it was where they were looking for by the sight. The road stopped and was replaced with rickety wooden paths. The water beneath smelled foul and was filled with mud and trash. The houses looked like they were falling apart.

Jak carefully walked down the unstable pathway keeping his head low his face partially obscured by his scarf. There were Krimson Guards in the area too, and with the small walkways it would be easier for them to notice them. As he walked he saw people go by him, some women repairing parts of the houses with scraps, some men hopelessly trying to make the walkways more stable. The whole location felt old, and he expected that it would fall apart on him as he walked down it. Along with the paths being rickety and unstable they were a mess; he ended up finding corners and dead ends more than he found where he was going. He considered swimming to his destination until he noticed how polluted the water looked and decided staying lost was a better idea.

The sun was low when he found his destination. "Hey Jak maybe we should wait until morning." Daxter suggested. Jak considered it but he wanted to get involved in the underground as soon as he could. He got this done quick he was one step closer to getting Baron Praxis' head.

The door opened leading to the outside and Jak looked around. The door lead him out to what was left of some kind of beach and a large metal contraption surrounded them. He looked up to see one large pipe entering the city and he guessed that was the pipe he needed to follow to the valve. He walked down the beach to the large machine to see two platform like things raising up and down in a rhythmic manner. It was like they were pumping something. Water? Eco?

He climbed on one of them and let it raise him up to the next platform. It became clear very quickly that the machinery was built into a large cliff. The pipe went upward; he would need to find a way upward to get to the Valve.

Jak walked across the machinery soon realizing he would be moving between the object and land and jump off it and onto a small mound of dirt. He walked up the pathway and stopped when he heard a growling noise. "Uh oh." He heard Daxter say over his shoulder and he looked behind him to see a strange animalistic creature approaching from behind. It was mostly black and grey but it had glowing yellow eyes and a strange gem on its head. A strange gem, he remembered Torn mentioning that the Metal Heads had large gems on them.

The creature growled and Jak turned and ran up the path right into a small group of the animalistic creatures. He stumbled back a little as the three looked at him and the one from behind approached ready pounce on its prey. "Jak do something!" He head Daxter shout into his ear and Jak remembered the pistol that Torn had given them. He removed it from the holster on his belt and looked around. He had no idea how to use the thing but he knew that he would not have a chance to hurt even one of them if they surrounded him.

Thinking on his feet Jak started to run as the Metal Heads leaped for him. He ducked under them and tried to get in front of them. He jumped back onto the metal machine as his path came to an end and turned around. He remembered Torn's instructions, keep his elbows bent, aim and shoot the gem. He pulled the trigger. The loud bang that erupted it made his years ring and he could hear Daxter complain about it. The small yet quick spurt of yellow eco his the Metal Head in its shoulder and Jak cursed his luck and tried aiming again, pulled the trigger, ignored Daxter's complaints about the noise as the spurt of yellow eco hit closer to the Metal Heads gem, the eco going into its eye.

Close enough. Jak would have tried again were it not for that point that he remembered the other Metal Heads in the area. He felt his body be shoved onto the metal flooring as he was tackled by one of the animalistic machines. The pistol lost from his hands Jak grabbed onto the creatures jaw as it tried to bite into him its mouth dangerously close to his head. His fingers dug into the softer parts of the Metal Heads body as it fought against him. The other two Metal Heads were surrounding him. He could barely fight off one, there was no way he'd be able to fight off three.

"Hang on Jak!" He heard Daxter yell and the orange Ottsel jumped onto the Metal Head restraining him. He bit into its ear and the creature roared in pain. His hands free Jak crawled away from it his hand reaching the small metal weapon the Underground leader gave him. He aimed it at the other Metal Head that was trying to leap for him and fired. The eco struck right into the creatures gem making it cry out in pain. Its scream was like a howl of a wild animal. Jak shot it again and the gem broke the purple color of dark eco oozing from the animals head. The other that was heading for him leapt and Jak rolled out of the way. He barely had time to get to his feet before it tackled him into the side of the metal machine snarling at him. Jak clenched his teeth his hands on the animal's shoulders being the only thing between his head and its teeth.

The gem was the weak spot. With much effort he pushed the thing off him and grabbed its gem. He wrestled the animal to the ground as it howled in pain as it felt him pull at it. Jak pulled on it with as much strength his body could muster and he heard a distinct crack and howl from the animal in pain. He pulled so hard that he flipped onto his back but his goal was accomplished the creature screamed in pain as it died dark eco spewing from its head. It collapsed the light fading from its yellow eyes.

Jak looked at the gem satisfied before bringing his attention to the Metal head that Daxter was playing with. The animal was flailing around trying to kick Daxter off its head to no avail. "Hey Jak a little help here!" Daxter said and jumped off the Metal head as Jak aimed for it. He fired a blast of eco into its head and then another. Like the other two before it died as the gem broke apart and it fell over. Daxter looked up giving a sigh of relief.

"Good thing you're hear cowboy." He said and for a second Jak smiled before looking around at the three dead Metal Heads. His eyes fell on the one he ripped the gem out of to find that it was still leaking dark eco. He walked over to it looking at the gemstone he ripped out of its head. His eyes then fell on the eco and his eyes widened as he looked at the black and purple substance.

He put his fingers to the substance and felt a tingling sensation go through him. He could feel the eco being absorbed into his body, but this time unlike the other times it was not painful. It felt good, it tickled his senses a smile forming on his face as it worked its way through his body. He wondered if he could absorb more, and what would happen if he did. He reached for the creatures head.

"Jak snap out of it!"

He had not even notice he had closed his eyes. He looked around before his eyes fell on Daxter. The ottsel was staring at him wide eyed. "What's wrong with you? You got this crazy look in your eyes."

"What?" Jak looked at him in confusion before realizing that his fingers were covered in dark eco. He got up and stepped away from the Metal Head corpse. "Let's keep moving Daxter."

It was dark but they had managed to reach their destination. At least Jak hoped they had he wasn't sure how but he had somehow managed to get themselves lost at least once going up a straight path. How he did that he had no idea and Daxter was not going to let him off easily for it. It was probably fatigue, he had no idea how late it was but between escaping prison, killing guards, then running around in this Pumping Station, he was just about ready for bed. Daxter had made a loud yawn as they climbed the hill but somehow seemed to have more energy than he did.

He jumped off Jak's shoulder as the human stifled a yawn. "Behold…the valve!" Daxter said trying to play up the success of their mission. "Allow me."

Daxter put his small paws around the valve and pulled. He paused stared at it then pulled again. The third time he put all his effort into it. Not an inch.

He grunted as he pulled on it, but try as he might the valve would not budge. Jak sighed starting to lose some of this patience and considered telling Daxter to let him do it. Then he realized Daxter would not and he would need to help him in a different way. He looked around for some other alternative before looking down at the metal pipe just below them that was connected to the valve. He shrugged and on a whim slammed his fist into the pipe.

The valve became loose and began spinning rabidly as the top of the pipe just above them opened. Daxter screamed and Jak watched wordless as his friend spun around on the valve several times before being sucked into the pipes his screams echoing across the vicinity. Jak stared blankly for a few seconds before following the screams back down the beach careful not to lose his footing. He looked around when the screams stopped and he silently hoped to himself that he did not go in the wrong direction.

"Daxter?"

"Jak…." His ears perked up as he heard Daxter's voice. "Help." It was coming from the end of the pipe where another smaller valve was. "Jak, please help…"

"Hang on Dax." Jak said looking around quickly to see if there was another way to get his small friend out of there. With no other options he reluctantly turned the valve. The sound of rushing air came from the pipe and slowly Daxter's head popped out. Then his upper body and arms. The poor ottsel grabbed the edges of the spurt and desperately tried to push himself out. He succeeded only for a blast of water behind him to send him across the sand and into a perfectly placed boulder a few feet away. When he landed he was soaked in a puddle of water.

Jak walked up to his friend and seeing soaked to the bone he couldn't help but crack a small smile and a snort escaped his lips. "Don't!" Daxter said sitting up. "Don't say it. Don't even chuckle. Next time, _you_ turn the valve." With that said he collapsed on the sand leaving Jak to pick him up and take him back to the city.

It was reaching midnight and Torn was still going over paperwork and plans. He should have been done an hour ago, at least that was what Tess was convinced of but this was Torn they were talking about. The guy was not going to stop working until they took Baron Praxis down and ended the war with the Metal Heads, or he killed himself from exhaustion.

"Tess go home." Torn said. "Don't you have work tomorrow?"

"Yeah thanks for reminding me." Tess said. "I'm just waiting for Jak and Daxter to get back."

"Don't bother." Torn said, "I doubt we'll be seeing them again."

Tess shook her head. Such a pessimist she wondered why she got along with him in the first place. She stood up and walked over to the sink and on a whim turned the handle on the faucet before Torn could remind her there was no water. There was the sound of air before sludge squirted out of it in sporadic increments. Just as she was about to turn it off she saw the sludge thin and be replaced by the rush of clean water. She ran her hands through it and then grabbed a glass, filled it up, and walked over to Torn putting the glass in front of him.

"You were saying?" She said as Torn stared at the glass speechless. When he came back to his senses he put his hand on his forehead covering his eyes.

"Ah shit…" He muttered and Tess couldn't help but laugh as she walked into the next room to get one of the beds ready for their new resistance fighters. By the time she was done she heard a door open and ran out to see a tired Jak and a half soaked Daxter enter the hideout.

"Hey welcome back boys." She said.

"Baby did you miss me?" Daxter said and Jak put a hand to his forehead. Tess was all smiles while Torn was all scowls but he shrugged.

"Okay you're in." He said, "Tess has your room set up, you're sharing with five other people. I expect you up at 0600."

"Uh what?" Daxter asked and the two looked at Tess.

"Six AM." Tess said. "So off to bed boys you got a full day tomorrow. And I need to go so I can get to work on time tomorrow." She walked past them stopping for a second to look at Daxter. "See you cutie." She said then looked at Jak and stopped for a moment. Her eyes narrowed taking his features.

"What?" He asked or more like grumbled irritably.

"Oh nothing." Tess said quickly. "Just wondering if the hair was natural." That was her lie and in a way it made since as a green-blonde combination like his was uncommon. But his face, she felt like she had seen it before somewhere. "I work at the Hip Hog in South Town. Come by if you boys ever want a few drinks. On me."

With that she left leaving Daxter smitten. Torn shook his head his frown never leaving his face. "Get some sleep you two." He said taking his leave.

He felt strangely vulnerable inside the Underground hide out. As he lay on the bed he found that it was a great improvement to his bed in the prison and yet he could not get comfortable. He rolled onto his back his ears catching every single sound that came from the room. He could hear a man snoring across from him and another talking in his sleep about sandwishes. Jak found himself curling up on the bed as he rolled onto his side.

He had gotten used to the walls of his prison cell, how it was the only thing that could protect him from the pain and torture that was brought on him every day. He remembered how after the injections he would be thrown into his cell and how in his earlier days he would curl up on the floor holding himself as his body still seared in pain from the dark eco.

Eventually his body began to adapt but old habits die hard and as the injections intensified and the amount of eco they pumped into him increased he still found himself curling up on the floor until the prison nurse came in to dress the injuries he gave himself from thrashing around or the guards gave him as part of their 'fun'. Now even if the room was small it was open and he felt like someone could sneak up on him from any direction, grab him, and stick a needle into his neck. He took a sharp breath as a small gasp of panic escaped his throat.

"Jak…?" Daxter said sleepily the voice startling the young boy making him look up at the ottsel curled up on his thin pillow. "What are you doing? Go to sleep."

"I'm..." Jak started but trailed off as he tried to get comfortable. "I'm trying…"

"Well maybe it'd help if you covered yourself with a blanket, you look cold." Daxter said and Jak nodded taking the blanket that was at the edge of the bed and wrapping himself in it. It felt strange, dry and rough and to him it hurt to have it on his body. It was no different from the tattered sheets he covered himself in back in the prison. "Good night Jak."

"Night Daxter." Jak said trying to get comfortable and closing his eyes. He could still hear everything in the room and his body was tense, but slowly he could feel the fatigue of a long day getting to him and he fell into a disturbed sleep.

"_Jak! Jak wake up!" A voice said and Jak slowly opened his eyes exhausted from the pain and the most recent injections. "Jak, it's me."_

"_G-Gail?"_

"_Come on we have to get out of here." She said putting a needle into his arm. He jumped but he felt more awake. "That should help." She said taking his arm. "This way!"_

_They were walking the hallways, in areas that Jak did not recognize. But clearly she did, because she had walked them before. _

"_What's going on?"_

"_Father is dead. The Baron had him killed."_

"_Why?"_

"_He's not happy. The Dark Warrior Program has been a failure. If I don't get you out of here he's going to kill you." A shaky hand on his face. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been so blind."_

"_Run! Oh god no!" They were surrounded._

_His first transformation was painful but each soldier that came after him met a quick and painful death. He reveled in seeing the blood on his fingers from there bodies. But it wasn't enough, they weren't enough to satisfy him he wanted more. He turned to the girl in the corner his claws out a dark smile on his face._

"_Jak no! It's me, remember? Don't let the eco control you. JAK! No!"_

_Claws extended he swung right for the face enjoying her scream._

The last part of his dream had him awake and sitting up so fast Daxter had fallen off the pillow. His breathing was heavy his heart rising in his chest. "Geeze what's the-" Daxter started only to stop when he saw Jak's body become stiff. "Hey you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said getting out of bed and muttering something that Daxter could barely make out. He heard the word bathroom before jumping on the bed. The small furry animal pondered whether or not to follow before deciding that it would be best to leave his friend alone. He climbed back on the bed and made himself comfortable before lying back down. He did not go back to sleep, he pretended to but kept one eye open just to make sure Jak would be okay.

Once in the bathroom Jak splashed his face with water, trying to calm himself down. His shoulders were still tense and his entire body felt hot and sweaty. He took a ragged facecloth from the end of the sink soaked it in the water and wiped his face off with it. The water felt cool against his skin.

He hadn't remembered having a nightmare like that in a long time. He could still the girl's face, everything was red washing out the color of her skin and orange hair. He still remembered the feeling of that things claws on her face. It felt so good to get revenge, but she hadn't done anything that could would warrant it. She had been a victim. He had killed an innocent.

Jak dropped the cloth in the sink and looked up at the mirror. His eyes widened as he looked not at himself but someone else. Some_thing_ else.

It looked just like him, but its skin purple where his was tanned, hair white while his was green and blonde, and the eyes were completely black contrasting with his blue eyes. He lifted a hand putting it on the mirror the person in the mirror mimicking him perfectly. He then moved the hand from the mirror and on his face again a perfect match.

It was him. He did not want to admit it but the thing in the mirror was him. Did he look like that now? No. If he did Daxter would have made some kind of comment and when he had looked down at his hands his skin was normal he had to assume the rest of him was. Yet the thing looking at him was him, a monster that took over when the eco inside him became active, whenever he felt angry.

Jak's hand became a fist and without thinking he slammed his fist into the mirror. It cracked drawing blood from his knuckles which dripped down parts of the mirror. The blood infused with the eco in his body, he drew his hand back letting the blood drip down his hand seeing the energy from the eco radiating from it. He felt his legs shaking as he dropped to his knees in horror at what he had been turned into. He wanted to feel mad, to feel going after the Baron. Instead he felt scared and he wrapped his arms around himself pretending that someone was holding him.

He wished his Uncle was still here. Or Samos. Or Keira. Someone to tell him that everything would be okay. Everything would be okay. Everything… he couldn't make himself believe it and held himself tighter, sobs stuck in his throat.

* * *

I ship Jak with Keira since I think they are cute together, but I can understand why those that don't like it don't like it. To compensate and make the romance a bit more palatable I'm going to try and reintroduce her into the plot earlier than the game did. Editing needs work on this one. Anyway, going on vacation for a few days so next chapter might be late (I'm trying to consistently update on Thursday).


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Monsters cry, Birthday stars**

"Who the hell broke the mirror?" The sound of an irate man was what woke up Daxter long before the alarm clock in the room did. He blinked a few times looking around to see some of the other men stir at the sound of this random angry individual. "Well? Who the hell broke the mirror?"

"Maybe it was your ugly mug." Daxter shouted at him getting a death glare from the man and a lot of chuckles from the men. The angry one in question muttered several explicative under his breath before leaving the room. Daxter looked around and watched as some of the men got up while others decided to go back to bed and sleep for the last hour that they would have before they needed to go back on duty. Daxter looked up at the top bunk wondering momentarily which of the two options he would consider before wondering why he was even considering getting up before the alarm clock and curled back up on the pillow to go back to sleep.

Go back to sleep. Daxter's eyes widened and he looked around before realizing that the pillow was slightly slanted. He looked down to see Jak was still sleeping. He didn't remember Jak returning to bed. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for his friend.

Daxter moved the blanket away to get a better look at the boy's face to find his eyelids twitching and his face pale. He was dreaming and Daxter guessed from the expression on his face that it was a bad dream. His eyes wondered down to see that there were white wrappings around Jak's hand stained slightly red. Daxter made no comment, he didn't shake Jak's shoulder to wake him up and get some answers, he just let the boy sleep and he curled up next to him on the pillow.

An hour later and the alarm went off making him jump and fall off the bed. "Will someone turn that off?" He shouted and to his surprise someone did. "Thank you!" He looked up at the bed when he heard a quiet grown and saw Jak slowly sit up. Dark lines were under his eyes which in turn looked foggy. His face was still pale. "Morning sleeping beauty, you look like hell."

"I feel like hell." Jak muttered his voice low and tired.

"Didn't sleep well?"

"I slept?" He said in a failed attempt at a little humor before yawning and sitting up. He pulled off his shirt and Daxter's eyes widened in horror as he saw Jak's back and arms. Scars and gashes were visible across it, many red, some fresh, and a few of them looked like they hadn't healed properly. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it as he saw Jak turn to him. "Don't ask." He said his voice strained and Daxter did as requested, but his eyes would not leave the mangled mess on his friends back until Jak put his shirt on.

More scars were on his fingers and they became visible when Jak ripped the bandages off. Daxter swallowed the saliva building in his mouth, those looked like they just happened the other night and even though it looked like they were starting to heal they still looked pretty bad. They also looked like something that one would get if they punched a mirror. Daxter had considered a sarcastic quip before deciding against it.

Jak replaced the bandages with gloves which he put on both hands and flexed his fingers. They moved okay and satisfied he made his way out of the room. Daxter followed moving a bit faster so he could climb on Jak's shoulder. He was by that point used to the boy flinching when he hopped on him.

The rebel leaders were all in make shift armor and were either cleaning weapons getting breakfast or talking amongst themselves. There were mostly men but there were also a few women engaged in the chat or eating breakfast. Jak noticed Daxter looking around as though looking for someone and he knew immediately who he was looking for.

Jak sat down to eat a tasteless breakfast which was for the better he decided stopping with the others as Torn entered the room. He expected some kind of announcement instead the man spoke to each persona individually. Some of it was small talk others was just assigning them the mission. He finally approached Jak and Daxter. "You kids settling in?"

"Oh yeah I love sleeping around a bunch of smelly men." Daxter said his voice dripping with sarcasm and Jak almost chocked on his breakfast. Torn scowled at the ottsel making his displeasure clear. "So what you have us doing today?"

"Well I was going to have you tag along with Tess on some recon." Torn said and Daxter let his enthusiasm be known and the moment he did Jak saw a twisted smile form on the rebel leader's face. "But instead I have a better job for you."

Daxter's enthusiasm faltered and the ottsel crossed his arms a frown on his face as Torn turned his attention away from the small furry animal and to Jak. "Listen, one of my mole's in the Krimson guard just ID'd an ammo dump locked in the nearby fortress. Lots of Krimson Guards, constant patrols, I need you to get in there and blow it up."

"You're kidding." Daxter spoke.

"I'm not kidding." Torn said, "It might be guarded on the outside but that just means it's vulnerable on the inside. You get in you won't receive any resistance, and by the time they notice you're in there well…they'll be seeing fireworks."

Daxter growled at the smirk on his face and opened his mouth to object only for Jak to speak up instead. "How do I get in?"

"Jak?" Daxter practically shouted.

"I want to do it. I want to let the Baron know that it's _me_ that's hurting him. I want him to know and I want him to be afraid."

Despite Torn's statements Jak found it easy to break into the facility. All he needed to do after he got in was dodge the automatic tank that was firing missiles at him while he had Daxter disable the security, which they succeeded in doing so by tricking said tank into firing at the control panel which in turn just happened to also disable the tank. Easy.

"WORST. MISSION. EVER!" Daxter yelled as Jak chuckled his friend bringing a little bit of happiness to their otherwise dark situation. He slammed his hand on the panel and the door next to them opened, which upon stepping into they saw a large number of barrels and crates lying around. This had to be the place. Their steps were heavy on the metal as they observed the surroundings. Jak put his hand on the barrel and felt his body run cold as he felt some kind of familiar energy in it.

There was dark eco inside the barrel and he could feel it pushing against the metal wanting to become a part of him. He shook his head resisting any temptation as he started placing some of the explosives Torn had given them onto the barrels. The eco was highly combustible; it would be perfect for wiping out the facility.

He tossed Daxter one of the explosives and was about to tell him where to place it – and more importantly to be careful not to drop them – when he heard a loud clang that made him jump. He looked around taking note that both doors in the room were closed only to hear footsteps coming from underneath them. Daxter looked at him and Jak shushed his small friend before quietly moving to a grate in the floor.

His eyes widened when he saw Krimson Guards underneath them, but the main thing that caught him off guard was the presence of Metal Heads similar to the ones he killed at the Pumping Station. Barrels of eco were in the room and one of the Krimson Guards gestured to them.

"This is the latest shipment of eco. The Baron says to take them and then get out." One of the guards told the metal head that Jak guessed was the leader of the group. That metal head made a confused grunt before giving a low growl that made both soldiers raise their weapons. The leader's growl died down seeming satisfied by its threat and motioned for its cohorts to start collecting the barrels.

Jak looked at Daxter who shrugged just as confused as he was. Metal heads in the city. Why were the guards giving them eco? Was it treason? No it was on the Baron's orders, though he would not be surprised if the soldier was lying. The Krimson Guard could not be trusted. He remembered the stories of traitors being executed almost weekly while he was in his prison cell and how some of them seemed to enjoy it more than was reasonable.

"The Shadow will be very interested to hear this." Torn said as Jak relayed the information that they had learned. Daxter sniffed the air before turning in a circle and sniffing his fur.

"Ugh I smell like someone's dinner. Like friend Yakkow thigh."

"Mmm my favorite." One of the soldiers in the room said and Daxter gave them a cold glare.

"Why is the Baron giving eco to the Metal Heads?" Jak asked. For the time being he decided it would be best to assume it was the Baron's orders and to his frustration Torn shrugged.

"Metal heads need eco to survive, same with this city. I'm sure you've seen the gem in their heads right?" He asked and Jak nodded reaching into his pocket and pulling out the gem he had ripped from a Metal Heads skull the other day. Torn gave him a ghost of a smile trying to hide his respect for the kid. "It's called a Skull Gem, think of it as the brain and eco as their fuel source, in order to thrive Metal Heads need to constantly feed on eco."

"Except Green eco." Daxter said and Torn raised an eyebrow at him, "I've sprayed a few with the stuff and it makes them sick."

"I've gotten reports of their eggs not growing well near green eco vents. I'm not surprised that the live ones don't like it either." Torn said trying to hide how impressed he was with the small about of information Daxter had just given him. Jak however looked confused trying to hide how lost he felt in the conversation.

"Okay Metal Heads feed on eco. That doesn't explain why the Baron is giving it to them." Jak said starting to lose his patience.

"It's strange the Baron would give the Metal Heads the one thing that he can't afford to spare, not with the shield wall taking up so much eco." Torn said. "We need to know why he's doing it, and I know someone that might have the answer. Since you two brought this to my attention I'm going to have you meet with him.

"You ever heard of a guy named Krew?"

Jak stared at him face blank but Daxter's eyes widened. "Krew? Yeah I've heard of him. Big face in the black market, pays well I hear."

"Big is an understatement." Torn said letting a chuckle escape from his lips, "There's no one wired into the city like Krew, even Erol gets information from him. But right now the Baron is on his bad side, I think we can take advantage of that." Torn walked over to the other side of the room and picked up a package wrapped in brown paper. He put it on the desk and Jak could immediately feel the energy radiating from it. Pure healing energy.

"Is that eco?" Jak asked and Torn looked at him almost surprised that he knew what was in there.

"Yes. A pure eco ore." The older man said and Jak stared at him. If Samos was here he'd be begging to have it preserved.

"How did you-?"

"None of your business." Torn said his voice low and Jak grumbled under his breath. "We are behind on our payments to Krew and he's been uncharacteristically patient with us. When we found this, we figured it would be more than enough to cover our debt. He agreed, for the most part.

"We already have a zoomer available for you to take. Your destination is the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon by the Port in South Town. Give Krew the ore then pump him for information see if he knows what the Baron is up to. If he wants you to do some work for him to get your information you have my permission to proceed, just don't forget why you're working for him." He looked at both of them to make sure they understood and Jak gave a nod making it clear that he knew what was expected of him. Yet even as he did there was something in his eye that made Torn uneasy, like he would stab him in the back if Krew gave him more of what he wanted than Torn did.

He did not have a lot of options. Krew always got what he wanted and he wanted to see if the kid lived up to the passing rumors. "You know how to get there?" He asked and Jak shook his head at the same time that Daxter nodded. Torn sighed and tossed a few things onto the table. "Here take these. It's a wonder you've survived getting around the city yesterday…"

The first was a map which after some fiddling Torn demanded someone to show Jak how to use. Jak watched and repeated the actions of the soldier getting a few remarks about his cluelessness with the tech but getting a handle on it. The other was a security pass. There were checkpoints in the city that he would only be able to get through with the pass. They forged his information and Torn made sure that everything would pass checkpoint inspections before turning him loose.

Jak took the package and made sure it was secure before climbing onto the zoomer. "If you want buddy I can drive." Daxter offered and Jak was tempted to let him take it, but as he looked over the controls he noticed there similarities to the A-Grav zoomer that Keira had made for him back in Sandover. He took the key put it in the ignition and turned. The zoomer roared with life and carefully he tested each button and shifted gears in it to get an idea of how it worked.

Outside of the option to change altitudes from high to low the zoomer functioned exactly like the one that Keira had made. It was quieter and moved smoother, but it was like he was riding the A-Grav zoomer. Keira's design was perfection and this was just a slight modification of it. A small smile formed on his face. It then faded as he remembered her bright green eyes and her confident grin.

He could see her explaining the details on the zoomer and himself becoming confused but smiling at her excitement for her latest invention. She was always so happy tinkering with machinery and while Jak never completely understood it all he listened anyway because he liked seeing her happy.

One time when the power got cut from the village she vowed that someday she would put together a machine that would allow Sandover to have its own power source and not rely on the Precursor technology in the Forbidden Jungle. She even began making blue prints of the device and trying to sort out how it would work.

Now she would never get to finish it.

Jak shook his head and pulled on the accelerator. The zoomer roared and he gave a thumb up to the man working in the garage. He pressed a button and the garage door rolled up letting Jak go. It took a few seconds for him to get comfortable with getting into the traffic. Along with patrolling the ground the Krimson Guard were in zoomers and cruisers patrolling the sky route. One of them looked at him as though inspecting him before driving on his way. Jak wanted to keep his head low to hide his features. He knew the Baron would be looking for him, but hiding himself to much would just make him look even more suspicious.

He drove at the speed limit moving just a little faster as Daxter directed him through the traffic. They left the slums and entered what the computer called the Industrial Zone. There was more room to move around in here and Jak kept his eyes open.

"Oh look there." Daxter suddenly said getting Jak's attention. He pointed at a small simple building that stood out like a sore thumb in the otherwise industrialized location. "Looks' like Osmo got his exterminator shop back up."

"Who?" Jak asked.

"A friend of mine. And my boss." Daxter said, "He helped me out a lot during the last year, heck his son helped me break into the prison. I never did give him my two week notice; I should do that once things settle down a little."

Jak stared at him a little confused before slamming on his break as he almost crashed into a zoomer in front of him. Once he got his composure again he continued on. It was another few minutes and he found himself slowing to a stop with the traffic. He leaned over a little to get a look at what was causing the traffic jam to see half a dozen Krimson Guard soldiers blocking the road two checking security passes. It was a blockade. Still with time he contacted Torn.

"Torn we have a problem." He told him the current situation. He heard the Underground commander curse and slam his fist on the table.

"Is there another way to the port?"

"_Not without going to the stadium on the other side of the city."_ Torn said and Jak checked the map. It would take hours to get to the stadium and even more to cut down to the port. What's more getting there required going through the general direction of the palace where he would be more likely to get caught. "Don't turn around, they'll get suspicious. Just act natural, maybe you'll get lucky and get an incompetent one."

Jak nodded and cut the connection. He looked at Daxter then motioned to his holster. If he was driving Daxter would need to shoot if they got into a firefight. Beyond that he wanted his small friend to keep quiet, no talking. He took a few deep breaths as they got closer and tried to make himself relaxed. Before he knew it he was next. He drove up and stopped right where the soldier wanted him to. "Good afternoon." He said trying to sound pleasant.

"ID please." The Krimson Guard said holding out his hand. Jak reached into his pocket and gave the pass to the guard. The man scanned it and Jak felt his attempts to stay calm begin to falter. This soldier was taking a bit too long to verify is identity. Perhaps Torn wasn't as thorough as he thought. He was just about to motion for Daxter to take the gun and shoot when the guard looked back up at him. "Sorry for the delay." He said giving the ID back to Jak. He felt relief wash over him. Looks like he did get lucky.

"I'm just going to need to check the package before I let you go."

He stiffened and mentally cursed himself for thinking to soon that he'd get off easy. He tried to quickly think of a way to get them to not open it. "Wait you can't, it's a present."

"A present?"

"Yeah for my uh…" He stuttered trying to think of something quickly. His eyes fell on the clock on the zoomers computer. "My girlfriend. It's her…her birthday. I spent hours trying to make it perfect for her." The guard looked at him and Jak was certain the guard was actually considering his light lie. The soldier looked at the other one.

"Well I guess we could-"

"Nope standard procedure." The other guard said switching places with the nicer guard. "Sorry kid, but your lady is just going to have to understand. Baron's orders." The guard reached for the package and without thinking Jak grabbed his pistol, shot the man in the head, and revved up the zoomer. He almost hit a civilian in front of him as he turned the corner knocking the poor man into the wall. Jak heard the Guard yelling at him then calling for backup and with the number of guards in the area, back up was coming quickly. Not just in the form of foot soldiers but also the Hellcat zoomers.

"Daxter give me the package!" He ordered and his small friend carefully gave it to him. He stuffed it under his arm and put his scarf up over his face. "Take the back, and keep an eye out."

"You got it." Daxter said taking the pistol. The weapon was almost as large as the ottsel. "Alright tough guys bring it on!"

The next thing to come from Daxter's mouth was a scream as a stream of red eco flew past them. Jak could feel the energy radiating from the stream. It felt almost unnatural like it was mixed with other things. He drove around the corners diving out of traffic into the lower area where civilians were now running away in panic. Jak had no time to be careful he needed to finish his mission. He went around one of the corners taking a violent turn and sending on of the zoomers out of the air and into the street below them. He slowed a little to gain some control and not hit the side of the building then he floored it making it go as fast as he could. He could see the red lights of the Industrial Zone giving way to blue and the smell of smog thinning.

"Whoa!" Another blast of eco whizzed by them and Jak could feel the heat from it singing some of his long hair. They were almost at the Port meaning they needed to lose the guard before going to the saloon. He could hear Daxter yelling at him to do something. He had an idea, and he knew it was incredibly stupid. He saw the water near them and slammed on the brake of the zoomer turning violently.

"Jak what are you doing?" Daxter shouted to him. Jak said nothing just grabbed Daxter and stuffed him under his arm. The ottsel protested loudly but Jak ignored him. He saw another blast of eco going right for them and jumped off the zoomer. As the eco hit the zoomer he felt the blast, the shock of it knocking him back several feet and into the water. He landed hard on his back the water not breaking his fall nearly as well as he hoped. He struggled to keep his mouth shut and get himself in a swimming position, his longsleeve shirt restricting him as well as his need to keep the package under his arm.

_Just ditch it, you'll get the information another way._ He shook the thought out of his head. This was probably the only way they'd get answers. Using his one free arm Jak got himself upright and began swimming down the port. He swam up to come up for air and he could hear Daxter gasping next to him.

"Where is he?" Jak heard one of the Krimson Guard say.

"His zoomer blew up. He probably fell in the water."

Hearing that Jak started to swim away from the spot he landed putting his body as close to the wall as he possibly could. Should he keep moving or should he just stay still and hope they just don't search the water?

"Think he can swim?"

"Doubt it, but look at this." A small silence. "It was that prisoner, call the Hellcat Cruiser and get someone to fish him out."

Jak looked at Daxter and the two took a deep breath diving back into the water. Keeping close to the wall Jak followed it for several seconds before coming back up for air again. Staying near the wall he and Daxter dived under again using it to lead them away from the patrols. Finally they were far enough that Jak was sure it'd be safe to come out of the water. They were near a bridge and there was a large crowd at the end watching as the Krimson Guard brought in the hellcat cruiser. Perfect they could disappear into the crowd. Jak kept his head low and with Daxter on his shoulder and the package settled carefully under his arm he walked across the bridge.

"Hey Jak?" Daxter finally said after a long while. "I don't know if I've told you this but uh…. You're out of your freakin mind!" And Jak did not say anything, he just smiled a dark smile.

* * *

I dislike this chapter, but if I don't put it up and away I'll never get it up. So here you go.


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